Stripping floorpans, underhoood, etc. Glass beads?

When you full resto guys strip the car for paint, do you go to it with some sort of air tool and abrasive disks, or do you blast?

I think for the panels, a DA would be best, but for undercarriage and engine bay, trunk, wheelwells etc, a blaster would be more effective.

I was planning to buy a blaster this weekend and wonder if that is the best choice over other stripping methods. Also, I was thinking glass beads would be best as far as media goes. Is it aggressive enough to clean paint and rust off of steel?

Thanks

 

Well i knw sand blasting will take rust right off. never tryed glass beads. But on the paint on top im useing a mudhog. It almost like DA, but a DA on steriods.

 

Thanks! I was thinking glass beads over sand due to the silicosis thing as well as hearing about sand warping steel too easily. I wonder if glass tries to warp stuff the way sand will?

 

Any friction held in one spot too long will cause warpage...even glass beads. most of the stripping places use plastic media or soda. I checked at a local place to have my grabber blasted and they can do either, plastic is cheaper...as the media is reusable.
I have a glass bead cabinet I use on small parts and it does a great job cleaning up the small parts. If the part has a buildup of dirt and oil I will soak in over night in the parts washer and scrap off the big stuff before beading it.
Robert

 

I'm not sure where to buy plastic beads around here. I guess I could order some. Should be relatively light for shipping purposes at least. There is a HF in town where I should be able to buy glass, walnut shells, and maybe sand but I don't know about plastic.

 

I think HF also sells aluminum oxide media too. I may just pick some up of each and test them out on an old rusted out fender or something.

 

I use sand because it is more aggressive. Plus it is a lot cheaper. I DA outer panels but underneath the hood and undercarriage, I would recommend sand. Just use a good paint respirator and you will be fine.

 

plastic media/soda are about the best for paint stripping.Aluminum oxide/sand are aggressive and should be used for heavy rust/undercoat removal.Note... the grit of the media you buy...when done, you want to have an 80 to 100 grit finish to the steel.With some medias you will end up with a much coarser finish 40 to 60 grit which is difficult to get rid of on steel unless you like sanding bare steel smooth so you can prime/paint it.Go to a supplier and ask lots of questions,They will steer you in the right direction for your application.Good luck.

 

Also only use glass, walnut or plastic media in a cabinet. anything else will etch the glass or plastic window.
Robert

 

Cool deal. Thanks for the tips!

 

i dont have direct experience but ive heard alot about bakeing soda working really well for paint removal with out effecting the metal underneath. i would think this would be good for the fenders and outer surfaces. so whats the experiences with this stuff?

 

I have heard horror stories regarding soda blasting. Apparently, it gets in all the seams and hides in them to reactivate and lift paint/cause corrosion later. Also, if you dont get it totally cleaned off and neutralized to begin with, your paint/primer will not adhere. I think I will try the typical media to see how they each work.

 

Any blast media will do that.You have to clean it out...pressure wash...(steam pressure wash is better)Its the only caveat with blasting.Chemicle dipping is an option also,but,since its an acid it has to be neutralized/cleaned off or it will eat any top coat.

 

I just finished stripping the paint off of my maverick and I used a aircraft paint stripper it ate the paint right up and brought the car to bare metal. You may have to use a few coats. But it works real well. Once you paint on the stripper the paint will bubble up. On the flat surfaces I scrapped it off with a razor blade, and then used a wire wheel on the other areas that I couldn't get with the razor blade. After that I sandblasted the rust spots and wiped down the metal with laquer thinner and then put ospho on it and it was ready for prime. Hope that helps you, Good luck.

 

I used these things to strip my floor pans


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